Is winter over yet? Kinda. Mostly.

April 30, 2011

According to Mammothâ€™s weather forecaster, Howard Sheckter, the long, cold, snowy winter of 2010-11 is finally over â€“ mostly.

With 618 - 637 inches measured up at the 9,200 foot elevation on Mammoth Mountain now, the winter goes down in the record books as Mammothâ€™s snowiest, though not wettest, winter ever.

It started snowing on Oct. 5, making it seven months of snow, although an abnormally dry January and February gave us something of a break for a short time.

But a cold, wet April has kept the snow from melting much up on the Mountain, allowing the numbers to continue to creep up into late April, a relatively unusual event.

That said, there are clear signs of spring down here in Mammoth and in the Long Valley and Sunny Slopes areas. Daring daffodils and crocuses are coming up for sun and the color green no longer seems like something out of a long-ago dream. Trees are shaking off the dull green, brightening. Roads are drivable, not just skiable.

So it is finally over?

â€śThe end is near!â€ť said Sheckter on his web page update Wednesday.

â€śOne last strong cold front in the picture early Friday morning before the weather finally turns warmer than normal next week.â€ť

He added that for Fishing Opener, it will be clear, but cool to cold and possibly windy â€“ â€ś... a few snow showers are possible but no big deal.

Winds will gust in the 80 mph range over the crest and 40 mph here in town Thursday afternoon and especially during the evening hours. Early Saturday morning at sunrise on the lake and along the shore line, temps will be in the teens.â€ť

But take heart. The wind will diminish in the afternoon and the weekend will begin to warm, with warmer than normal temperatures expected next week.